


Cherry

by aquariusx28



Category: VIXX
Genre: F/M, For a Friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-29 15:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21412660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquariusx28/pseuds/aquariusx28
Summary: In which Ravi is a famous rap artist venturing back to his home town for inspiration.
Relationships: Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Original Character(s), Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Reader, Kim Wonshik | Ravi/You
Kudos: 3





	1. just the beginning

You were sitting by yourself, nestled away in a quiet corner of a busy library. Finals week was just coming to a close, and students were furiously studying for the final one or two exams they had left. You didn’t need to worry about that, though. Being an art major, most of your exam was turning in a few paintings and sketches, with an essay on art history and an independent study piece of your choice. Your choice just happened to be a watercolor painting depicting the colors in your everyday life. The teacher had, of course, loved it, and it now hung in the lobby of the student center with your name on a plaque and everything. No one recognized the name, why should they? You kept mostly to yourself, a college sophomore who’d made deans list since your first semester. You buried yourself in school work, hiding away in the school’s student art studio whenever you had time and when it was busy, or others were using it, you found yourself in the library, just as you were now.  
There was an empty sketchbook in front of you, leather bound and fancy paper. It had been a gift from your mother to congratulate you on passing your exams (grades weren’t out yet, but if your artwork was hanging up, it had to mean you passed, right?), since you wouldn’t be able to travel home for the summer. Your mother decided to follow her own dreams while you were away at college, and was currently halfway through Europe. You were happy for her, you couldn’t deny that, but you wished you could go back home to her for the summer instead of staying in your student condo a few blocks off campus. It’d been paid for until your graduation, so you supposed it was convenient, but it wasn’t home.   
You tapped your pencil against the first page in the sketchbook, eyebrows drawn together as you stared at the paper, trying to will your hand to draw lines. You couldn’t find the strength to do so, couldn’t make your hand move other than tapping the eraser over and over. It seemed that nothing would come to you- finals had probably sucked enough creative juice out of you for weeks. This meant there’d be many frustrating sessions in the student art studio, and the thought of that itself made you slam the sketchbook close and shove it into your messenger bag. You’d just go to the campus coffee shop and see if anything inspiring struck you there.  
The weather was surprisingly nice that day, despite meteorologists saying the clouds would block out the sun. The joke was on them- the sun was in full force, and many students that had opted for sweaters had removed them for their tee-shirts and tank tops. You had worn your sweater, and in the air conditioned library you were comfortable. However, now it was decidedly warmer than the library, so as you made your way across campus to the coffee shop, you removed it and slung it over your bag. There was a gentle breeze, and by the time you reach the coffee shop you had goosebumps on your arms from the cool breeze and warm sun against them.   
The shop wasn’t crowded, so you took your usual spot by the window as the barista nodded towards you and began preparing your usual drink- an iced mocha frappuccino topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The cherry was your personal touch, it was always the best start to a nice refreshing drink. It was your favorite part. Honestly, you could’ve put a cherry on any kind of drink.   
You took your sketchbook out of your bag along with your pencil case. Nothing had particularly grabbed your attention on the way to the shop, but you decided to give it one more try before accepting your fate. It didn't take long before you were glaring at the empty page, not even realizing that the barista had brought you your drink, or that he had explained it was already paid for.   
Nothing could break your focus on the page, as though the mere power of thought could produce some masterpiece out of nowhere. It wasn't until an arm draped across your back and a warm body against yours that you noticed the world around you was still right where you'd left it. Except now there was someone in your own little world, breaking through some unseen atmosphere and being sucked in by some make believe gravity.   
"Just keep doing what you were doing." Even whispering, you could hear the voice rumble through your body, making your chest tight.   
It wasn't hard to do as you were told. You felt frozen in your seat, eyes glued to the blank page. The arm around you felt strong, the body leaning into yours was sturdy. You could smell the mystery man's cologne. It wasn't unbearable, but distinguished. Musky and masculine, not overpowering at all like the sprays most of the boys at this school used.   
You glanced towards the stranger out of the corner of your eye. You caught a glimpse of bright blonde hair, spiky in some parts with a severe undercut, and lightly tanned, muscled arms. He had a good sense of fashion, if the designer logo you saw was any kind of indication. You looked back down at the page, trying to steady your breathing. There was no doubt this stranger was good looking, and he was sitting right next to you, and...  
And he leaned in closer, arm tightening around you. You could practically feel his smile against your hair. "Don't look up, act natural."  
"How do I-"  
But you never finished. You looked up right as the chime above the door sounded, announcing that someone had entered. And entered, she did. The man at your side tensed, and you finally understood that for some reason he was avoiding the woman who had just entered. You turned your attention back to your sketchbook and found that you were finally able to draw again. You worked quickly, wanting to get as much done as you could before the mystery woman made her way to your table.   
Her high heels announced her arrival, so you looked up before she even had the chance to speak.   
"It looks just like me!"  
You held up the drawing. It was rough and sloppy, but there was no mistaking the face on the paper matched the one grinning widely at you. You felt your heart flip flop, but swallowed the feeling away. The woman cleared her throat.   
"Wonshik, I've been looking everywhere for you!"   
Her voice was high, but not obnoxious. She was chewing bubblegum, though, and that was. You heard the snap of a bubble popping, and you looked up. The guy with you, Wonshik she’d said, wasn’t even paying attention to her, instead he was still smiling at the drawing in your lap. The bubblegum snapped again, and you turned your attention to the stranger at your side. He finally looked at the girl, and he didn’t look thrilled.  
“I’m kind of busy,” he told her.  
“You don’t look it.”  
“You should just give up.”  
“No.”  
His smile returned, but you could tell it was forced.  
“I got a pretty good set up here, don’t ruin it.”  
The woman crossed her arms, and you could feel her cold glare on you. You ignored it, using your finger to make a few smudges on the drawing. You felt like you were intruding on something, though you hadn’t done anything at all. It was them who had intruded on you. Wonshik turned his attention back to you, and his smile turned genuine.  
“I think I’ll frame this one, it’s your best one of me!”  
“It’s the only one of you,” you told him.  
He laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is, huh? Well, it’s my favorite because it’s the first.”  
The girl tapped her foot a few times, but it was clear to you that Wonshik was not going to give her any more attention for the day. Eventually she must’ve realized that, because with another snap-pop of her bubblegum, she left. Wonshik seemed to relax at your side when the door closed, and he removed his arm from around you.  
“Sorry about that, she just won’t give up!” He grinned at you, offering his hand. “I’m Wonshik, but everyone calls me Ravi.”  
You took his hand. “Alexis.”  
“I knew your drawing looked familiar. Your work is up in the student center, right?”  
You felt your cheeks flush as you nodded. Someone actually recognized you to your work? You tore the drawing from your sketchbook and handed it to him.  
“You can keep this, then. Since it’s your favorite.”  
He laughed, and it was a nice sound to hear. You wondered absently if you’d be able to hear it again after today. He’d used you to deter unwanted advances from a noticeably beautiful woman. What were the chances you’d see him again? But it was almost as if he read your mind, because the next words out of his mouth…  
“I’d like to see you again, if that’s cool.”  
“Uh…”  
“Because of Hyuna. She won’t leave me alone.” He ran a hand through his hair, draping his other arm behind him on the chair. He looked like a model, and you had the sudden urge to draw him again. “I lied a few times, saying I had a girlfriend. But since I’m never hanging around any girls she never believed me. I saw you walk in and just... nah this sounds weird, am I freaking you out?”  
He looked to you again, and you flushed when you realized he’d caught you staring. You looked away. You didn’t think it was weird… well, you did. But you could understand where he was coming from. You shook your head.  
“I understand. It’s okay. Anyway, you helped me out today, too. I’d just finished finals, and couldn’t draw. I just get so fried sometimes, but… I drew so maybe the block is gone.”  
When you looked at him again, he was the one that was staring. You looked away quickly, shutting your sketchbook and setting your pencil on the table. “I mean, that’s probably weird…”  
Wonshik laughed again.  
“Nah, girl. That sounds pretty cool. I get that. The block. And speaking of…” He stood, pushing the chair in. “I gotta get going. I’ll see you around?”  
“Uh… yeah.”  
He leaned in, and for a moment you thought he was going to… do what, exactly? You didn’t know, but you felt oddly disappointed when he straightened up. He gave you a short wave, and headed for the door.  
“See ya ‘round, Cherry.”  
“My name-”   
He was out the door, and when you reach for your drink, you noticed that your cherry on top was gone.  
“Damn…”


	2. a deal is struck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ravi makes a deal, but will alexis be able to agree?

The coffee shop incident had been four days ago, and still there was no sign of Ravi. Finals were over, and classes had been dismissed for the summer. Many of the students returned home for summer vacation, while some remained to pick up extra summer classes. You’d finally made the big decision after meeting Ravi- you were going to take on an extra art class for the summer. There wasn’t a lot of actual drawing or painting to be done for the class, it would mostly be museum visits and lectures, but you were fine with that. It gave you more time to focus on your own projects, rather than have them assigned to you.   
Since the coffee shop incident, you hit a new high and had drawn sketch after sketch of various classmates, the scenery on campus, and, most importantly, Ravi. Of course those sketches usually ended up in the garbage bin. You definitely couldn’t be seen with them, people would think you were some childish creep. It wasn’t like that, even if you admitted to yourself you missed him. He just had a very nice face, and you found it was quite easy to draw him. It was as though he were born to model for art. He had the right facial structure that made it easy for your pencil to glide over the paper, and you loved filling in the lines of his hair. Yes, it was decided that he was destined to be the subject of different art pieces. Of course, after determining this, it still came as a surprise to you when you found out what exactly he had meant by understanding your art block.   
It’d been four days since you’ve seen Ravi’s face, and there it was, on a shiny piece of poster, plastered in the student center. He looked so at ease on the poster, smiling the same way he had when you showed him the drawing in the coffee shop. He looked young and carefree and so happy. You were completely at a loss as to what it all meant. The poster was for the school talent show coming up in fall, at the start of the new semester. According to the small print under his name, Ravi was going to be a judge. But what exactly gave him the right? You’d never seen him around before, though by the way a few girls stood whispering excitedly at another nearby poster, he had to be well known. You were too busy trying to decipher the poster that you didn’t notice the girls had all grown silent, and were staring wide-eyed at you.   
“Pretty impressive, huh?”  
You jumped at the voice, at how close it was. You turned quickly to see Ravi leaning against the wall next to the poster. He wasn’t looking at it, his eyes were focused straight on you. You felt your heart flip flop again, and your hands suddenly felt clammy. The group of girls nearby shuffled forward as one, and you found yourself being moved aside so they could give Ravi their attention.   
“What-”  
“Ravi, is this really true?” one of the girls asked, flailing an arm towards the poster, and nearly knocking you in the head in the process.   
“Yeah, it’s gonna be really fun. I’m looking forward to seeing the talent this school has. I’m already impressed.”  
You couldn’t be sure, but you were pretty sure he was looking straight at you when he said that. Was he really? Did that mean he liked the way you drew? You felt it get to your head a bit, chest filling with pride. You still didn’t know who Ravi really was, but by the looks of things he was pretty important- and he liked your art. You listened as the girls started bombarding Ravi with questions; when he arrived, where he was staying, what brought him to campus today. They never gave him a chance to answer, but when he was asked if he knew you, he stepped through the crowd.   
“Yeah, of course.” He put his arm around your shoulders, grinning widely. “I’m taking her out on a date.”  
“Hey, wait. You can’t just decide that.”  
“I did say I wanted to see you again,” he reminded. You had nothing to say to that, because you’d been wanting to see him again, too. He waved towards the group of girls, turning you around and heading for the door. “Practice up, if you’re gonna enter the show. I won’t go easy!”   
The girls all chattered happily, and when you looked back at them they were back to admiring the poster. You had no idea where Ravi was leading you, but you remained silent as you two strolled across campus towards one of the exits. He seemed to know his way around pretty well, and you wondered why. Had he been a student here? Was he a student? Or had his importance granted him a private tour? You wondered, with a hint of malice, if the Hyuna girl had been the one to show him around. After the meeting in the coffee shop, you’d noticed her around campus and came to the conclusion that she, too, was a student. Every time you’d seen her, she seemed to be pretty close with a few people you recognized as students of the school. You weren’t sure why you were getting so jealous over something that probably didn’t happen, but you were. It wasn’t a good feeling.  
“I got a few things I wanna discuss with you.”  
You looked at Ravi, thankful he spoke to pull you from your thoughts. What did he want to talk about? You nodded, and he removed his arm from around you. Your shoulders felt cold now, but he quickly took your hand to lead you off campus. The streets were crowded with cars, students were leaving for home today. You wondered just how quiet your condo building was going to be now that school was over for the semester. No doubt there’d be others there, still, who were taking summer courses or whose parents couldn’t be bothered taking them in for the summer. This reminded you again about Ravi.  
“Where are you staying? Or, are you from here? Why are you even here?”  
Ravi laughed, squeezing your hand. “I’ll explain everything. Let’s find somewhere quiet, first.”  
You could only nod as he lead you through the city. You were pretty impressed he knew his way around, which just made you even more curious about him. You were nearing one of the higher end hotels, and as you got closer, you noticed large banners with his face on them. They were advertising a concert series, made mention of the school talent show, and most of all, kept boasting about a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It made your head hurt just seeing them all.   
Rave led you inside the hotel, bypassed the front desk, and went straight for the elevators.   
“Wait, where are you taking me?”  
“It’s a surprise.”  
You found you had enough strength to pull your hand from his, and you crossed your arms as you took a step back. He wasn’t trying to take you to a room, was he? Or… his room. He laughed, as though he could read your mind.  
“Trust me, there’s no privacy there. Just trust me.”   
He held his hand out, reaching with his other to call the elevator. You watched the numbers make their descent, and when the elevator arrived you took his hand. What the hell, you had him to thank, anyway. The least you could do was take a leap of faith. Inside the elevator, he pushed a button for one of the higher floors, and entered a passcode. Just how famous was he that security was going to be that tight on his room? You found out in just a few moments, though. When he led you inside one of the suites on the higher floors, you were frozen. There was so much sound equipment and computers, not to mention a few people sitting around. You could hear voices in another room off to the side.  
“What exactly is this?” you asked.   
“Ta-da!”   
Ravi swept his arms wide, backing into the room. You weren’t exactly what you were supposed to be admiring, but you were pretty amazed by all the work that was going on, or that must have gone on in that room. If anything, though, it just gave you more questions.  
“Come on.” Ravi headed for the kitchen area, which seemed to be the quietest. He held out a barstool at the counter for you, and you sat in it, placing your bag at the edge of the counter. He got two glasses out, poured some juice, and leaned on his elbows across from you. He was still smiling. “Go on.”  
“What is this place? Who are you? What’s going on?”  
He didn’t laugh, but you could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to. He took a sip of his juice, standing up and crossing his arms.  
“Where do I even begin?”  
“Maybe with who you are?”  
“Right, right. I already said- I’m Wonshik. But I guess you don’t really know.” He scratched his chin, looking deep in thought. “I used to live here. Never went to college here, but I guess since I’m a hometown star or something… Right. I produce and make my own music. Which is why I’m judging the talent show. And I’m having a concert series here. Taking it back to the roots, right? I hit a block writing so I came home.”  
“So why all this? In a hotel?”  
“My parents skipped town a few years ago, I bought them a nice house. So I don’t live here anymore. But I come back sometimes.”  
“And Hyuna…?”  
“Just a girl I used to hang out with. I swear. I don’t know why she’s been so crazy lately. Could be the fame.”  
It was a lot to take in, but you were starting to get the big picture. You felt embarrassed you had no idea who Ravi was, but you weren’t from this city, or even paid attention to the latest big names in the music scene. You had your playlists, filled with music you listened to from the nineties, but that was it. You were more interested in your art. However, none of it really explained the coffee shop incident. You let Ravi know, and he took a sip of his juice. It seemed to last forever, and you were at the edge of your seat by the time he set his glass down.  
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”  
You nearly toppled out of your chair, and one of the men in the room came over, laughing. He seemed to think it was a joke, but Ravi had a very serious look on his face. The man got some food from the fridge, and walked away. Ravi hadn’t said anything in that small time frame, but once the man was gone he rested his elbows on the counter, leaning towards you.  
“It wouldn’t be for real, but Hyuna needs to get off my case, and I need someone I can trust to spend time with me when I’m in town. I don’t know what it is about you, but you caught my attention the second I caught you go into the coffee shop.”  
“So, what’s in it for me?”  
“I want you to do the album work for my next album, so you’ll get a lot of recognition. And you get to spend time with me.”  
It actually didn’t seem to be a bad deal. You did enjoy his company, even if you didn’t know anything about him. Well, barely knew anything about him. And you’d need something to do during the summer between your classes. Why not?  
“Sure, I guess. It’s not real, anyway.”  
“Yeah, exactly. There’s just one thing, though.”  
“What is that?”  
“You can’t fall in love with me."  
Your heart nearly fell to the pit of your stomach. You ignored that feeling, though. It couldn’t be that hard not to, right…? Your heart seemed to squeeze tight in your chest. Maybe not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so about an hour after i posted chapter 1, my motherboard decided it no longer liked me and fried itself.  
JUST MY LUCK??
> 
> i'm still going to be updating, but bear with me since i'm using an ancient machine unearthed from the confines of my closet


	3. bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ravi and alexis bond

Over the next couple days you found yourself looking forward to your afternoons with Ravi. The day after he had made his proposition, you were extremely shocked to find him waiting outside the student art room for you. There’d been a few whispers as your classmates left class, and Ravi was sweet enough to sign a few autographs and pose for a few selfies. He could only grin when you watched him, completely baffled. His excuse was that it was easier this way. Easier for who, you had no idea. It wasn’t necessarily a hassle to have him meet you at class, and your classmates were amazed rather than bitter at your sudden friendship. However, the summers here were hot and humid, and by the fifth day it was starting to look like walking from the hotel to campus was taking its toll on Ravi.   
You two were sitting in your condo living room one the fifth day, having already made your rounds to some popular spots on campus and around town to guarantee that word got out you two were seen together that day. Ravi was sitting on the floor, eating a popsicle while you drew silently on the couch. You two never really had a lot to talk about once your “dates” were over, but Ravi kept insisting on going to your place. You didn’t know why, but you felt it may have had something to do with the hotel. You’d get antsy if you had to stay somewhere you didn’t know well for a long period of time. You didn’t mind, because he mostly kept to himself. He had a small pocket sized notebook he usually doodled or scribbled words in, but today it seemed like he hadn’t brought it.   
You were pulled away from your thoughts and absent doodling when he stood to throw away the popsicle stick. You could see his shirt sticking to his back from sweat, his hairline was soaked. You frowned.  
“Don’t you have a car?”  
He looked at you from the kitchen, pausing as he pushed the lever to lift the trash lid.   
“I mean, unless you like walking everywhere.”  
He laughed, shaking his head and letting the popsicle stick fall into the trash bin. He returned to his spot on the floor, maintaining his distance.   
“Man, it sucks. But I don’t have a car, and it’s not like anyone would let me drive it if I did have one.”  
“Well, why don’t we take mine?”  
You weren’t sure if time had actually broken. Ravi was completely still as he stared at you. It was only for a few seconds, but you suddenly felt self-conscious. You scratched at your collarbone, realizing you were in just a tank top, and suddenly you were reaching for your jacket. You shrugged into it, and only then did you notice Ravi blink.  
“Okay, I get it. Do you want to see it?”  
He was on his feet faster than you had time to blink, and then you were suddenly being manhandled towards the door. You reached for your keys by the door, but Ravi already had them in hand and was still hustling you out the door.   
“Ravi, you don’t even-”  
He left your side to hurry towards the parking lot, pushing buttons on your keys. Seconds later, the car alarm sounded down the row of parked cars. He was running for the car before you realized it, hopping into the drivers seat and starting the car. You walked over to him, curious and amused at his behavior, and stood next to the drivers door. He rolled down the window.   
“Why haven’t you said anything sooner? Hop in, I wanna show you something that’s too far to walk.”  
You laughed, and it felt good. He was looking at you when you leaned against the doorframe.   
“This is my car.”  
“I’ll drive safe.”  
You raised an eyebrow at him.  
“Okay, I’ll do the speed limit. I do have my license.”   
He braced himself against the seat and wriggled his wallet from his back pocket, opening it to reveal his license. You stared at the picture before breaking out into laughter, holding your sides. He leaned out the window, patting you on the back as you began coughing from laughing so hard.  
“What’s so funny?”  
“That can’t be you,” you managed.  
“Why not?”  
You shook your head, but walked around the car and climbing into the passengers seat. You buckled, making sure you watched him the whole time you did. You made a big motion out of clicking your seatbelt in. Ravi just rolled his eyes at you, and you smiled.  
“Just remember it’s my car.” He was suddenly on his best behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a short one, but it sets up for the next chapter and the ending

**Author's Note:**

> so this is all written, i'm just cross posting it from tumblr/my google docs.  
i'll update once a day just to give it some time to make its rounds, i guess?


End file.
